Tom Adams

For you jazz fans or folks that want to get into that genre, here's an interesting source: http://www.weather.com/aboutus/television/music/ Yes - the Weather Channel. Tom Adams

Thanks j-malotky for the input. And yes - I will be taking lots of photos all along the way. One of the nice things about this room's layout is there is accessible "attic" (if you will) space that resides just outside of the 6' high side walls and the back wall. And the house plan has provisions for doors on either side of the room to access this attic space. What this means is that, except for the wiring at the far end of the room (where the TV will be), I will be able to access all the cabling that runs from my equipment rack to all my speakers/video. However, I do plan to run conduit in the ceiling in the event that I decide to go the projector route versus RPTV. Tom Adams

jzoz01 - This is a brand new home. It's a Frank Betz plan that we modified slightly. The HT room is actually a bonus room over the garage and was part of the original plan. Luckily for me, when the wife & I started looking for house plans, we both agreed that the plan had to include a room that would be for HT use. Yes - I am a lucky man to have a wife such as her. jmon - You're right! It is a very nice neighborhood. Quiet, friendly, low crime, large lots, family oriented. We've already met several of our future neighbors. The city is Richmond Hill - just south of Savannah, GA m00n - Yes...I think the room will be more than adequate. The neighbors I've met so far have already started asking for booking dates for things like HBO fights and the Super Bowl. The room size was also dictated by the extra 6 feet of garage width I added for my other habit - motorcycles!! The Hobbit - Good point about the insulation. I've already spoken to the builder about my sound abatement requirements and he's said no problem. The TV will be at the far end (short wall) where you see the framing for a window. Yes, we've already got some ideas on controlling light from that window. My audio equipment will be recessed into the wall about mid-way in the room. Tom Adams

Well gang...here's my future home theater room. Approximate interior dimensions will be 15' x 26' with an 8' center section ceiling and 6' tall side walls. Initial equipment will be my vertical horn Cornwalls for front mains, a RC3 for center, RS3 for side surrounds, my 1980 Heresys for rear surrounds, and my KSW15 sub. My trusty old Denon 3300 will do for now as will my dual tray Toshiba DVD player. Images will be displayed by my Mitsu 46" widescreen. Future upgrades will be to replace the RC3 and RS3's with Heresys; a yet to be decided SVS will replace the KSW15; and the Denon will get replaced by a pre/pro and dedicated 7.1 amp. Of course, the TV needs to be bigger too and what will replace the Mitsu is up in the air. I'm still not sold on projections systems (for purely personal reasons), but the room will be wired in case I change my mind. The wife has already picked out a nice Laura Ashley matt gray for the walls and a gray/blue/burgundy multi-tone carpet. Both of us can't wait for this room to come together. Tom Adams

OMG m00n - would you have ever thought in your right mind that giving us here the first shot at your Belles would've generated this much traffic and the various types of responses?? WOW I think it boils down to folks just venting their frustration at seeing you having to give up that which you worked fairly hard at getting. I think there are many of us here sharing our "regrets" of things we sold in the past that we've kicked ourselves for doing. And when we observe someone whom we think is going down that path, we tend to do the kicking for them. IMNSHO - you should do what your ears tell you. The bottom line is that no two ears hear the same thing. And while I truly respect many here who have the ability to hear/discern subtleties, I often ask myself, what if they came to my house, made any changes to my system they wanted in order to get my system to sound "correct" (by their definition), and I said to them, "Uh - I can't tell the difference." Would I be whipped and cast out just because I can't tell the difference? Anywho - that's my rhetorical question for the month. As for your HT...I think it's cool. Your rooms' narrow width I think will be a challenge for just about most speakers - especially when it come to imaging. Many very accurate speaker systems (Khorns excepted) need to be placed out away from the walls. Your RF7's are no exception. I've heard those speakers in a rather large room (25' x 30') and when they were pulled out from the side & back walls...OMG, they were totaly different animals. Later.... Tom

LOL....pulled out a gym sock. LOL I guess I'll never live that down eh fini?? BTW fini - be looking for more hidden gym socks in my new HT. And for the record - I don't got to Chuck E Cheese for the food. Anyone of yoos guize that has or had a 3 year old knows why I go there. That's right - to see if I can beat some little punk 6 year old at whatever. As for pizza - well, I hate to break this to ya, but Chicago ain't the only place to get great pizza. I'd put Mike's pizza up against anything you got there Mr. Brennan. And for any of you that lived in the New Orleans area 15 years or so ago...do you remember the Ground Patti? Those places used to have killer sound systems composed of at least 4 Heresy's and McIntosh electronics. Tom

Thanks m00n. FWIW - the wife & I have a house under construction and one of the things we both wanted in a floor plan was a dedicated media room. The wife has been so cool about all this even to the point of insisting that we paint the room a color that enhances viewing ease and getting seating that is comfortable - i.e. those recliner looking things that are geared towards HT use. The room measures 14'x26' and I was thinking of only doing two rows of seating. But now that I've seen your room, I might rethink that. I originally considered going the screen/projector route, but decided not to because: a) total cost bulb life & replacement cost and c) noise. For some reason my ears are sensitive to the frequency of the cooling fans that are used. Several projector setups that I've seen have "bothered" me unless the volume was turned up beyond what it should be. And the minute there was a pause in dialog or music - there that pesky noise would be. Anyhow - it's just a nit pic of mine. I still plan to wire for a projector in anticipation of when my hearing finally goes. FWIW2 - I plan to use all my Heritage speakers (Cornwalls FR & FL, Heresys for rear surrounds and center). I've got a pair of RS3's that I'm gonna try for side surrounds, but they might be replaced with Heresys too. Initally I'll use my 46" Mitsu Widescreen, but the wife says we need a 65" in that room (ged I love her). I'm also gonna make do with my trusty 'ol Denon 3300 and later upgrade to a pre/pro and seperate amp (the Outlaw stuff looks good and so does Sherbourn). Anyhow - if you're half as excited as I am, you're beside yourself. Tom Adams

Nice progress m00n - thanks for the updates. Your flooring construction reminds me of the first time I built a deck. A friend of mine who owned a construction company took one look at my deck framing and asked, "Tom...a little over built donchathink? You plannning on having elephants walk across this deck?" Seriously though - nice work. BTW - the first riser portion of the floor looks to be 2x4's, the next riser portion 2x8's and the last section 2x12's. Yes?? Tom Adams

So there I am with the wife and kid, eating a so-so slice of pepperoni pizza at Chuck E Cheese when this speaker suspended from the ceiling caught my eye. Although it was painted white, there was something vaguely familiar about it. The music kept playing and Madison was having a good time, yet that speaker just kept bugging me. Finally, the wife asked what was I starring at? I told her that for some reason I think that speaker is a Heresy, but that the speaker grill didn't look anything like I've seen on a Heresy (besides, there wasn't a Klipsch placard). Not being able to take it anymore I walked over to where the speaker was and looked at the back of it. Sure enough - there was the tell-tale sign Klipsch speaker terminal. And the way the back was screwed on was identical to the way my Heresys are. LOL - Klipsch might tout their relationship with the Hard Rock Cafe, but since there isn't one in Savannah, I guess I'll just have to eat pizza and drink a beer while Chuck E Cheese belts out songs thru some Heritage Heresys. Tom Adams

Jeez...this might be a tough one. It's got to be either (gulp) Karla Bonoff or KC & the Sunshine bands' greatest hits. Hey fini...you know there's hope for you and your TT's obsession. I know - for I've broken my atheletic socks problem. And you can too!! Tom Adams

LOL....I'm readng through this thread and each time someone rails on Kain, his next post doesn't even give a clue that his chops have been busted. Too funny. Anywho...I just threw away a 25" NEC (the fly back transformer could no longer be repaired and no one wanted the thing) that I bought back in 1986 or '87. Up until it went KABLOOEE, it had great color. And to think I paid something like $1000 for it. Can you imagine that? A grand for a 25" color TV!! Of course, it was one of the few sets that had preamp outs for stereo and more than one video input. But still...wow...a thousand dollars. BTW, in Kain's photos....is that the new Klipsch acoustically transparent plastic shrink wrap I've been hearing about?? Tom Adams

Hey James - Looks nice...very nice indeed! Having been on this forum for as long as I have, I remember all your "anguish" posts and a vent or two. Couple of questions if you don't mind. Is your room just for music or do you plan for it to serve HT duty? Also, what are the dimensions of your room? TIA Tom Adams

From 'Cool Hand Luke': "What we have heeyah...is a failure to communicate" "I'm shakin' boss, I'm shakin'" From 'Sling Blade' "Not funny ha-ha...funny queer" "Ain't got no gas in it" From 'Patton' "War is not about dying for your country. It's about getting the other bastard to die for his country." From 'Scarface' "Say hello to ma little friend" From 'Kid Cop' "I'm a cop you idiot!" From the Foghorn Leghorn cartoon character "Son, I say son, it was a joke" I'd better stop now and get back to work. I could do this all day! Tom Adams

Nice set-up. I would imagine that a room that size would be a difficult to setup the subs in. With 4 subs running there's a serious risk of cancellation. Nevertheless....I'm sure things in your house that are not nailed down get relocated from time to time. BTW, have you ever listened to a pair of RF-7's in a very large room? My local dealer has a room that is 18' x 30' and I recently got to hear RF-7's in that room as a stereo only pair. The speakers were out in the room approx. 4 feet from the side walls, 4 feet from the back walls, and slightly toe'd in. I was sitting approx. 12 feet away. OMG!!! The imagining and detail was amazing. For grins, we placed the speakers closer to both side & back wall and the difference was dramatic. While still a very nice sound, it wasn't close to what they sounded like pulled out into the room. I realize not everyone has a room or the option to place speakers like this, however it does illustrate just how well a speaker like the RF-7 can perform. Tom Adams

This is an easy one for me.... My other hobbies are boating, motorcycles, and tennis. And of these three, tennis would benefit the most from my lack of hearing. No longer would I have to hear my partner (or my team mates) laugh at the shots I some times make. As for my motorcycling...I'd be able to save some time getting ready for I'd no longer have to insert my ear plugs before donning my helmet. Tom Adams

Hey Dean - I too will add my hopes of a speedy recovery for your son. There's not much more I can say than what's already been said, but it's things like this that make my relationship with my Dad even more special. I mean, in the blink of an eye, we can be gone. As I've grown older, I've gained a better understanding of the love my Dad has for me. Words cannot begin to describe that bond and I'm thankful that you two still have each other. I'm also taken aback at you finding time in your moments of near tragedy to send a message to some internet forum/board to let us know about your son's accident and condition. Your message to this sometimes impersonal board implies a trust & bond you feel towards us. I respect that. And I respect you. I feel priviledged that you'd think that much of me (us?) to tell us something like this. God bless your son, you, and your family. Tom Adams

What's really ridiculous about those trailers is that they're produced as if the movie they're previewing isn't out yet. If they're gonna put that crap on the DVD, they ought to at least update the trailer. Hey John...like those RS-3's, eh? Remember - we offer the easy payment plan. WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! Ouch....Wendi, I was just joking. I know, I know - you get furniture before John gets more gear. Tom Adams

Yo....BobG (or any one else out there that has some experience with this). I have a pair of RS-3 in white that has some minor dirt smudges on the grill cloth (now I know why folks buy these things in black). What do you recommend I use to clean them and how?? TIA Tom Adams

I bought my 1978 model Heresy's brand new in 1978 and still have them. They lovingly reside atop the 1971 Cornwalls (vertical horn model) that I purchased last year. I will never sell these speakers unless it means having or not having heart by-pass sugery. Tom Adams

I don't mean to go off-topic here, but someone help me... It was my understanding that the speaker spikes were intended to "anchor", if you will, the speaker and allow it to be better coupled to the room when placing the speaker(s) on carpet. Yes? If this is true, then the spikes aren't necessary when placing speaker(s)on solid surfaces like wood, ceramic tile, concrete, etc. And if that's the case, then the answer to John's problem is to remove the spikes and get on with listening. Which prompts my last question to John...have you tried listening to your RF7's with & without the spikes?? Just curious if you can tell the difference. Tom Adams

Wasn't sure where to post this, however...... Does anyone here know what the heck RG59 co-ax cable is? I'm familiar with RG6 and thought that was the standard for video co-ax. But this past weekend I saw this package that had pre-made terminal ended co-ax and was labeled as RG59. Tom Adams

Hey First Time and welcome to the wunnerful world of Klipsch! In my present home I installed a pair of SCW2's in the master bedroom ceiling and have been very pleased with the sound. However, the following are MHO's and ideas - YMMV. For sound in various rooms, one is typically not concerned with accuracy or imaging; rather, it's background music. I would find it rare that anyone would be using an in-wall speaker for "critical listening". Therefore, I suggest that you buy Klipsch's Synergy series speakers, save the pennies you would've spent for Klipsch's Reference series in-walls (sorry Klipsch), and use that towards your HT or 2-channel main system speakers. Second, I used a stereo pair in my master bedroom and had I had to do it over again, I would've installed one speaker in the master bedroom, one in the master bath and run a mono signal to them. Once again, critical listening is not the focus. So why spend the money for two speakers in one room when you can buy two speakers and have sound in two rooms? Additionally, I would apply this concept to the rest of the house I would want music in. IOW's single mono speakers in various rooms. Lastly, building on this background music theory, I would suggest that you consider Klipsch's round in-wall (ceiling?) speakers versus the two-way's. This is purely from an installation ease perspective. I've installed both, and the rounds are much faster. Also, if you're a precision fanatic like me, it's tough to make sure those rectangular speakers are plum, square, and true. Get the cutout wrong and you'll have a speaker that's not parallel to a wall or ceiling corner line (if that makes sense). HTH. Tom Adams

Jeez...thanks Keith for throwing salt in the wound. If you only knew the story of my Camaro and how we were unvoluntarily separated, you'd understand why the wound has never healed. Actually, I've always dreamed of owning a '34 Ford 3-window. But not at that price. As for the Corvette...those cars never did anything for me. Tom - I've never found the brakes wanting on my TL-S. What I'd suggest is that you remind yourself that Car & Driver's criticsm comes from flogging the car on a race track. The only time you'd ever see braking any where close to that is if you're descending a twisty mountain road and you're trying to make some serious time. I'm serious Tom, you can find better handling and faster cars than the TL-S.... If you wanna spend 15 or 20 THOUSAND DOLLARS more!! And if you've got that much extra money laying around, buy the TL-S and then buy yourself a Kawasaki ZX9R and treat yourself to some serious performance. VW Passat...nice car, but ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz..... IS300 - Blast to drive, but small, noisy & rough riding. You'll pay $5K more and not have the same equipment level as the TL-S. Oh & the TL-S will spank it. BMW 3 series - See IS300 above except you'll pay $8K more. But hey, you'll get to tie a sweater around you neck and tell your friends you own a Beemer. Volvo - Sanitary and BORING!! Infinity G35 - Hmmmm...I could get interested in that car. But wait - what's that sticker in the window say?? Nissan Altima - Now here's some competition. Alas, no aftermarket performance parts and resale value is still uncertain. And one last thing...I hate to say this, but the Bose system in the TL-S ain't that bad. A few well place bucks here & there and it would sound better, but I'm ok with it. I've got over $3K in a system in my pickemup and it spanks the TL-S's Bose system - and it should. But I think I could easily make some speaker changes and the TL-S would rock. Good luck Tom. Tom Adams

Hey Tom - While I haven't spent much time behind the wheel of a 300M, I am qualified to speak to the TL-S for I own a 2003. I test drove the TL-S's competition and this car gives you more bang-for-the-buck than anything else out there. Yes, there are sporadic tranny problems, but that's all it is - sporadic. Mine is fine and I flog it in sport-shift mode quite often. The handling is an excellent compromise given the ride comfort. If you want a more agressive handling TL-S, then buy some new sways & springs. As for motor, the car flies and will embarass a lot of others out there. This is one of the funnest (is there such a word?) car I've ever owned outside of my gone, but not forgotten, '68 Camaro Rally Sport. I would buy a TL-S again in a heart beat. A good site to find out more is www.acura-tl.com. Oh...as for the buy American thing...in an down turn economy, I'd much rather buy a Japanese coporation car that's made in the U.S. than I would a German owned American coporation that builds its products in May-hee-coe. At least the former employs Americans who pay taxes and spend their hard-earned money here. Whilst the latter uses $2.75/hour Mexican labor and relies on NAFTA to increase their profit margins. And who benefits from that? The stock holders and all those corporate weenies with obscene compesation packages. Tom Adams

Picked up a copy of the 'Average White Band in Concert' DVD and thought it was a pretty decent performance. Audio isn't as cutting edge as The Eagles HFO DVD, but the performance was recorded all in one night at the House of Blues. Anyhow, despite some new members to the group, the music & groove was as tight as in the 70's. I'd give this DVD an A-. If you're into funk or would just like to hear this genre, pick up a copy. Tom Adams